Give Some Love to Your Heart this Valentine’s Day

February is usually the month that conjures up images of Valentine’s Day greetings, cupids, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and the exchange of messages of love with your sweetheart.

While you’re writing out those Valentine’s Day messages, why not also take some time to share a little more of that love for what keeps you going – your heart? The heart is a time-honored symbol of Valentine’s Day. It represents where all that love comes from and what keeps your life ticking every day. Give your heart some love this Valentine’s Day by sticking to a heart-healthy lifestyle that will ensure that your beat goes on for a long time.

The Choctaw Nation health services offers a lot of help and guidance when it comes to a healthy heart. For instance, the Choctaw Nation Cardiology Department specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart and blood vessel diseases, including comprehensive care for various cardiovascular conditions.

Here are the eligibility requirements for Choctaw comprehensive care:

• CNHSA Eligibility Guidelines
• Must reside within the Choctaw Nation service area for any referral services
• CDIB, letter of descendance or tribal membership card from a federally recognized tribe (except Chickasaw)
• Patients must be 18 years of age or older

To apply for Choctaw comprehensive care, it requires a referral from a primary care provider.

Additional information to qualify for services include:

• Exercise Stress Tests
• Echocardiogram
• Holter Monitoring
• Arrhythmia Management
• Blood Pressure Management
• Pre-operative Clearance
• Post-operative Cardiac Procedures Management
• Heart Failure Management
• Case Management/Coordination with outside Cardiologists

The Choctaw Nation will also be participating in the Go Red for Women Day initiative on Feb. 7, and we urge all tribal members to wear red day that day in a show of support.

Since 2004, the American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women, has addressed the awareness and clinical care gaps of women’s greatest health threat, cardiovascular disease.

The American Heart Association offers some staggering statistics concerning heart disease among women, including:

• Nearly 45% of women ages 20+ are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.
• Less than half of women entering pregnancy in the U.S. have optimal cardiovascular health.
• Women experience unique life stages, such as pregnancy and menopause, that can put them at an increased risk for CVD.

Heart disease tragedies have touched families across the Choctaw reservation and the world. Just a few lifestyle adjustments can help you ensure that you will share many more Valentine’s Days with your loved ones.

For more information on what you can do to improve your cardiovascular health, check out heart.org to help create a healthier Choctaw reservation.